Johnston Press chief handed 3,000-name strike petition

Johnston Press chief executive John Fry met with staff and union representatives today to accept a 3,000-word petition against proposed cuts across the company's newspapers in South Yorkshire.

Staff from the South Yorkshire Times, Selby Times, Doncaster Free Press, and Epsworth Bells have been out on indefinite strike over the planned cuts since 15 July with little progress in negotiations.

Among those who gathered at Johnston Press' financial meeting at Deutsche Bank in London Wall to present the petition were NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet and sacked South Yorkshire Times editor Jim Oldfield.

Oldfield, who is currently appealing against his redundancy, won praise from the National Union of Journalists in July after reporting the company's planned editorial job cuts on the front page of the South Yorkshire Times.

The union has accused Johnston Press executives of "enjoying huge payoffs and grossly distorted remuneration" while reporters, sub-editors and editors are laid off.

According to the union, Fry, who is due to step down as chief executive in October next year, will leave the company on an annual pay package of £1.2 million. In 2010 he earned a basic salary of £525,000, bolstered by benefits and a performance-related bonus to a total pay of £1,001,000.

Stanistreet said: "As the strike enters its 42nd day, this is the time for John Fry to show some leadership. He claimed today not to understand why journalists in South Yorkshire are out on strike so what better reason to sit down and discuss the major issues at hand.

"Thousands of readers in South Yorkshire are appalled at what’s happened to their local papers under his watch. If quality journalism is as important to him as he said today, John Fry needs to get his journalists back in work and doing what they do best, serving their communities.

"That can’t happen until common sense prevails and a commitment to meaningful talks is made."

NUJ Northern and Midlands assistant organiser Lawrence Shaw said on Twitter after the petition was submitted that Fry was "shaken and visibly uncomfortable" and claimed the union had "rattled" the company.

Johnston Press refused to comment.

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